museum of the confederacy-appomattox

Conveniently located on the road to Appomattox historical park, this fairly new satellite of the original museum in Richmond showcases over 13,000 artifacts including some amazing Lee personal items. The displays of flags and uniforms are impressive. This facility helps put the nearby Appomattox sites in a larger context. Staff is very helpful. Plenty of free parking. You can enjoy a quick sip here in an hour, but Civil War enthusiasts will want to stay longer.

Just down the road from Appomattox Courthouse, this museum has one of the best preserved and most comprehensive collections of uniforms, battle flags and documents about the history of the Civil War and the Confederacy. On display when I visited was the actual uniform, gloves and ceremonial sword that Lee wore when he surrendered to Grant. Also on display is the pen used in the signing of the surrender. These artifacts are currently on display for the upcoming 150th anniversary of the surrender in 2015. Throughout the museum are many uniforms lovingly preserved by the families of the men who wore them into battle, and then donated to the museum. The museum also has special exhibits on display - the one I saw was "When Johnny Came Marching Home," a display of the legacy of the soldiers who came home. The museum also has special speakers and presentations. Well worth a visit and can be easily combined with a visit to Appomattox, which is just down the road about a mile and a half away.

I went there with my parents after we visited Appomattox on a short vacation and we were amazed by all the personal effects,films and uniforms on display. i enjoyed seeing Robert E Lee's uniform on display as well as his sword. I found out from somebody in the museum that they keep some artifacts secured elsewhere and bring them back in after a little restoraion from time to time.

My father, being fascinated with the Civil war was very happy when this Museum was built. I went with him and my daughter and found it had a lovely set up with a combination of films and artifacts available. There were uniforms and weaponry from that time period along with a number of personal items. There was nothing here commenting on the Union which pleased me as I would not have enjoyed a controversy. Everything simply addressed, the culture before the war, the experience of being in the war for the soldiers and how it affected the families of these men. There is a gift shop (of course) with some interesting facsimiles of the artifacts plus food items from the region. I nice, quick introduction to the history of that time.

To see the original uniforms of the civil war generals as well as Robert E Lee's sword was mind boggling. This is a newly built museum that is among the best we have ever seen. Outstanding.

We enjoyed our visit here. Very nice museum. I really enjoyed all of the original artifacts, such as uniforms, swords, and other items that were on display.

I recently visited the Museum of the Confederacy at Appomattox Court House. I am a BIG Civil War buff, and I had looked forward to visiting the museum since I heard it had opened a few years ago. My first impression as I drove up to the building was that the building itself was very attractive, and the grounds around it were well manicured. There were only a few other cars in the parking lot, and I actually only saw four other visitors while in the museum. A very knowledgeable woman employee in period dress gave a short presentation of several items that were commonly used during the Civil War....some by soldiers and some by their loved ones left to manage their respective homes and land. I enjoyed this very much and had several questions answered. I began the actual museum tour in a room that had mainly uniforms and personal equipment of several soldiers....some of them important generals. The main artifacts were General Robert E. Lee's uniform and sword and the pen he used to sign the surrender documents when he surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General U. S. Grant. They also have the death mask of Robert E. Lee. There were a few guns and swords and a few battle flags. Another room had some photos and documents and talking points about soldiers and their lives after the War and their surrender....many taken from the battle reunions. I had driven for three hours from Northern Virginia to see the museum hoping to see information and artifacts on all of the famous soldiers from Lee's great army, and I was very disappointed. Now, I do believe that anyone interested in the American Civil War should visit the Appomattox Battlefield and surrender site. That goes without saying, but do not make a special trip just to see the museum.

this place is so well established with artefacts that will amaze, General Lee,s uniform and his sword that he offered to Grant at the signing of the surrender, plus many many artefacts every exhibit is first class, a pleasure to visit, Alan and Penny

This was a very well done museum experience. The docents were very knowledgeable. Visit BEFORE you go to Appomattox Court House!

Lots of items from the civil war. Lots of reading. My daughter learned VA history and about the civil war. She was really fascinated about all the items n the museum. Her favorite part was seeing Lees sword

I was very impressed by their collection of Civil War uniforms and swords. The way their paired the clothing with the person was well done.

I was very impressed by the knowledge of the volunteer who sold us the tickets. She was very knowledgeable of the history of the Civil War and the exhibits. She has done a lot of reading on it and was eager to chat about it. I learned a lot from just her. The exhibits were well displayed and plenty of information to describe everything. I like the fact that they also presented it from the soldiers side. They exhibited soldiers artifacts and stories. Being raised in IL. I was taught the Yankee side. I am now learning about the Confederate side, War is "Hell" no matter what side you are on. The confederates didn't just lose the war, they lost their homes, families, land, and everything they took pride in. What astounded me is the fact that after the war, a lost of the survivors left the United States and moved to other countries!!! I never knew that! The devastation was just too much for them. I also learned that freed black slaves owned slaves! This museum covered a lot of after war history also. I learned so much from this museum. I highly recommend it. It is a definite must see if you are in the area Lynchburg, VA area. It is in Appomattox, VA where Lee surrendered.

The museum itself was terrific, The Lee uniform was the highlight but many other artifacts also. The location is right on the road to Appomattox Court House, so it's easy to stop while in the area.

Though I've never actually been to the Richmond MoC, I'm very familiar with its vast collection and holdings, and was a bit skeptical that a second location would host anything particularly "high-profile." Of course, the banner outside advertises Lee's Appomattox uniform and sword, but I was afraid that the rest would be the dregs of the collection. I'm happy to say I was proven wrong.The facility itself is very nice, great climate control, spotless restrooms. I can see how the gallery might get crowded if there were a large group, but on a weekday, we were able to through at a leisurely pace and see and read almost everything. There are quite a few "big names" here. Seeing Ewell's and Hood's uniforms was a treat. The flags, which are a centerpiece of the museum's collection, are well-represented. The flag staffs most impressed me. To see the variety—from finished poles with finials to raw tree branches with bark—was incredible. I'm a big fan of display storage, and you have the chance to view several unconserved flags in storage drawers. The ability to pull open a drawer, even though it is well-encased under glass, to view an object is tantamount to holding history in your hands. Great feature.The current exhibit in the changing gallery, about veterans, held another big surprise—the bloodstained flag of the 26th NCT. Having studied the regiment at Gettysburg, this, to me, was worth the price of admission alone.To be clear, I am the descendant of men who were killed, wounded, and captured by Confederates, but was awestruck by the collection, and grateful for the opportunity to view it here.

This museum is a new addition to Appomattox and really enriches your experience there. I strongly recommend going. The museum has a lot of interesting information about people who were at Appomattox at the time of the surrender, and what happened to them afterwards.